SN Poll Results: Retailers Split on Big Data

Do you think that “Big Data” — the accumulation of consumer data derived from shopping history, online activity, social media, mobile location, etc — represents largely a boon for retailers or more of a threat to consumer privacy, or some of both?

Retailers answering SN’s poll on Big Data — the accumulation of digital information on consumers — see it more as a boon to marketing possibilities (33%) than as a threat to consumer privacy (21%). But a larger percentage (40%) regard Big Data as a combination of both. This reflects the uncertainty retailers face as the industry, as well as legal and governmental entities, grapple with the privacy issues surrounding the ability to track consumers in unprecedented ways.